Can't miss
- Tightwad Hill The hillside above the east rim looks straight down into the stadium, and people have watched games free from up there for a century.
- Bay views from the top rows From the top of the west side you look out over Berkeley to the Bay and, on a clear day, the Golden Gate.
Quick answers
When does tailgating start at Cal?
Oski's Village on Memorial Glade opens 3 hours before kickoff at every home game. Permitted cooking at the approved spots can start 4 hours before kickoff and runs through the game.
Can you grill at Cal tailgates?
Only with a UC Berkeley Fire Prevention Division permit, and only at the starred spots: Maxwell Field, Goldman Plaza and two Clark Kerr lots on Warring St. Everywhere else in the BBQ Exclusion Zone, tailgates are fine but without flames or heat-producing appliances. Butane stoves are banned anywhere on campus.
Can you drink at Cal tailgates?
Cal doesn't post a general tailgate alcohol rule. Oski's Village bans outside alcohol and has its own beer garden. No alcohol, cans or glass bottles get into the stadium, and fans who appear intoxicated can be turned away.
Do you need a ticket to tailgate at Cal?
Not for Oski's Village: it's free and open to the public, with game tickets sold separately. A stadium ticket is a separate purchase.
How do you buy parking at Cal?
UC public lots (Lower Hearst Level 2, Genetics Garage, Lower Sproul Garage and the Bancroft Parking Structure) are first come, a flat rate paid by card at the entrance, with free shuttles to the stadium. City garages downtown also sell game-day parking. Season permits go to season ticket holders.
Getting in
The stadium sits up against the Berkeley Hills, and most fans come in by shuttle, BART or on foot.
- UC lots
- Lower Hearst Level 2, Genetics Garage, Lower Sproul Garage, Bancroft Parking Structure. First come, credit or debit only, no cash or phone pay.
- City garages
- Center Street, Oxford and Telegraph-Channing. Rates differ, and some have no shuttle nearby.
- Shuttles
- Free from the lot entrances and Downtown Berkeley BART. Northside and BART shuttles drop at the Greek Theatre, Southside at International House and Berkeley Law.
- Streets
- Most street parking near the stadium takes a city residential permit on game days, with restrictions from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- RV
- No RV parking in any UC lot. Cal points RVs to the Berkeley Marina.
- Accessible
- ADA spaces in the UC public lots, first come. ADA golf carts run from the shuttle drop-offs to the gates.
Some roads near the stadium close 4 hours before kickoff and others 2 hours before, including parts of Piedmont Ave, Durant Ave, Channing Way and Gayley Rd.
From the shuttle drop-offs, it's about a 5 to 10 minute walk to the stadium.
No car? Downtown Berkeley BART is about a mile from the stadium, with a free game-day shuttle. AC Transit lines 6, 22, 27, 36, 51B, 52 and F stop nearby.
The rules
Rules last verified Oct 14, 2026 against calbears.com and berkeleyca.gov.
The fire rule shapes everything at Cal. Here it is, with the rest of what matters.
- Flames
- A UC Berkeley Fire Prevention permit is required for any open flame or cooking appliance, including electric ones with flames.
- Where
- Permits are issued only for starred spots: Maxwell Field, Goldman Plaza and the Clark Kerr NW and SW lots on Warring St.
- When
- Permitted cooking runs from 4 hours before kickoff through the game. Violations end it on the spot.
- Everywhere else
- Tailgates are welcome inside the BBQ Exclusion Zone with no flames and no heat-producing gear.
- Warmers
- Electric food warmers, not cookers, are allowed without a permit, only at the starred spots.
- Permit terms
- Cooking 10 feet from combustibles, an extinguisher at each spot, always attended. No butane stoves on campus.
- Oski's Village
- No outside alcohol, grills, cans, glass or metal bottles, hard coolers, or balls and frisbees.
- Bags at the gate
- Clear, up to 12 x 12 x 6 inches, or a non-clear bag up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches. No backpacks, even clear ones.
Before you go
Cal football gameday policies (2026)BBQ Exclusion Zone map (PDF)Oski's VillageCal football gameday parking and transportation (2026)City of Berkeley: car-free options for Cal footballOfficial pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.
Pack for Berkeley
What we'd bring.
-
Ultralight Tall-Back Camp Chair
$45
Ships free
-
Tailgate Trekker 20L Soft Backpack Cooler
$149
Free over $50 (our gear)
Most fans come by BART or shuttle, and Oski's Village bans hard coolers. This one's soft.
Berkeley afternoons can be warm, and night games turn cool fast. Bring a layer for after sunset.
Where the party is
Berkeley tailgates under a fire rule most stadiums never think about. The hills behind the stadium are a Very High Fire Severity Zone, so the cooking happens at a few permitted spots, and the party happens on Memorial Glade.
The front door
Oski's Village
Free and open to all on Memorial Glade by Doe Library, 3 hours before every home kickoff: bands and DJs, food trucks, a beer garden, a kids zone with cornhole, and big screens.
The permitted grill
Maxwell Field
One of the few starred spots where a fire permit allows open-flame cooking, from 4 hours before kickoff through the game.
The east side
Clark Kerr lots
The Northwest and Southwest lots on Warring St, at Dwight Way and Derby St, also allow permitted cooking.
What to eat
Most Cal tailgates are no-cook by rule. Oski's Village has food trucks and a beer garden, and cooking with fire takes a permit and a starred spot.
Getting out
Postgame, the shuttles do the heavy lifting. Your options, best first:
- Take the shuttle back. Northside and BART shuttles leave from the Greek Theatre, and Southside shuttles from Berkeley Law, back to the lots and Downtown Berkeley.
- Walk to BART. Downtown Berkeley station is about a mile from the stadium.
- Ride AC Transit. Lines 6, 22, 27, 36, 51B, 52 and F stop near the stadium.
Skip this
Drive out of the hills right away. Into the road closures, with everyone else.
First time here?
- Oski's Village opens 3 hours before kickoff. It's free.
- Want to grill? Get a fire permit and a starred spot. Everywhere else, no flames.
- Park in a UC lot with a card, not cash, or ride BART and the free shuttle.
- Don't park on neighborhood streets without a city permit.
- No backpacks in the stadium, even clear ones.
- Clear bag up to 12 x 12 x 6 inches, or a small bag up to 4.5 x 6.5.
Visiting? How to join a tailgate
Oski's Village is free and open to everyone, so start there. Cal's fan code of conduct bans taunting and threats, so keep it friendly, bring something to share and wait for a wave before you join a group's spread.
Free · one page · works offline
Your California Memorial Stadium game-day sheet, by email
One page for the lot: where to park, when it opens, what you can bring.
We don't sell your email.
